Gooch backs out-of-form Strauss

Strauss has reached fifty only once in the current series with Pakistan

England batting coach Graham Gooch has dismissed suggestions of concern over the form of captain Andrew Strauss.

Strauss was out for 13 on a first day of the third and final Test reduced to 12.3 overs by bad weather, and has made 155 runs in his last seven innings.

But Gooch told BBC Sport: "His game is not in bad shape at all.

"He's a proven Test player but it has been difficult to get big scores in this series so far, but I don't think it's anything to be concerned about."

Strauss has not made a Test century since the Ashes match at Lord's in July 2009, while Kevin Pietersen has to go back to the West Indies in March 2009 for his last Test hundred.

Gooch added: "If you have a few low scores obviously your confidence takes a bit of a dent. We'd like every player to be scoring big hundreds but sometimes it's not possible."

Regarding Pietersen, who has not played for Hampshire all season after announcing he would leave the county at the end of the 2010 campaign, Gooch, who scored 8,900 runs in 118 Tests for England, commented: "He's got to transfer the way he prepares and practises into the middle.

"Obviously he's desperate to make a score, like any player.

"But you've got to get the balance between attack and defence, what I call how you manage the batting. You get confidence from scoring runs in the middle. That is an important part of feeling good as a player.

606: DEBATE I came up with a scheme where the captain who scored most runs in the previous match would decide who bats first in the current game, but with Strauss leading the team we'll still lose every time SeaSeaSeasider

"But the modern itinerary of international cricket doesn't quite allow the number of games that it did in the past.

"Kevin's situation with Hampshire is between him and them. But ideally, you'd like to be playing some sort of cricket at some stage - because you need that rhythm."

In the build-up to the next Ashes series starting on 25 November, Australia captain Ricky Ponting continued the mind games by questioning the strength of England's batting line-up, with Strauss, Pietersen and Paul Collingwood all averaging under 30 in the current series against Pakistan.

Yes you would like them to get a bigger volume but as for any doubts about their ability, or technique, or form, I think sooner or later they will supply the big score that they want Graham Gooch

"There are probably a few little cracks starting to open up with England, particularly with the batting side of things," said Ponting.

Ponting added that he expects Eoin Morgan, who following his century in the first match of the series has made only 45 runs in four innings, to play in the Ashes even when Ian Bell is fit again after injury.

"I think they will play him at Bell's expense. There seems to be a bit of a buzz around the country with Morgan," added the Australia skipper.

"I think they liked his attitude more than anything else. I think that's probably something they'd like for a big series."

Gooch, however, is confident the batting unit will begin to function again and stated: "I don't think there are any concerns about any of the batsmen in the England side.

"Yes, you would like them to get a bigger volume but as for any doubts about their ability, or technique, or form, I think sooner or later they will supply the big score that they want."

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